The Walking Dead: Survivalism Chapter 1: Life Among Death
by M.P. The Writer
Summary: All that's left to worry about…is surviving. And for Michael's group of survivors, living is the one thing these young adults all have on their mind. Set alongside the same time period as the events of the original The Walking Dead series, this new fanfic will explore the journey of a younger group of survivors in Houston, Texas. And with a new location, come new threats.
1. Chapter 1: Life After Death

The Walking Dead:

Survivalism

Chapter 1: Life Among Death

"RUN!" Michael shouted as he and James raced along a crowded street of walkers. There was a clearing through the middle of the street they were on that led to a nearby bayou they could take to get back to their hideout.

"What about the guns? We have to go back or else we'll never get them!" James shouted as they began slashing their way through the horde with their black tomahawks.

"We can't risk it! There's already too many of them! We're gonna have to draw them off later when they've cleared out. It's too crowded right now. Plus, WE have to make sure we get out of this first!" Michael shouted over his shoulder as they hacked their way towards the end of the street.

Bodies were falling left and right as both men no older than twenty-two raced away from the infested street towards the bayou whose trail helped keep them hidden from the masses of walkers from the downtown area. Michael had to wait a little longer for James to catch up to him as he lumbered along. Michael was grateful for his slim stature in situations like these.

"Great. We did all that damn running for nothing." James said agitated.

"Well look at it this way, we made it out alive and we know where the weapons are. All we have to do is check back there again soon before someone else gets to them. And besides, you could use the extra exercise right bubba?" Joked Michael.

"Screw you Michael! We _needed_ those guns and all we had to do was go to the damn place, load them real fast, and shoot our way out! But no, _you_ wanted to run away instead of bringing back something we actually could have used." James exclaimed while driving his tomahawk through a nearby walker's skull.

"Look, there was no way we could've made it out of there alive if we'd stayed James. First off, we barely have any gun training at all. We probably wouldn't even know how to load ammo into those guns. Second, all the shooting probably would've given us away to either more people, walkers, or both. And third, even if we _were_ able to make it back to the group with the guns, how much ammo do you think we'd actually have left?" Michael retorted as he wiped away blood from his tomahawk.

"Whatever, let's just get back to camp already. I've had enough bullshit for one day." James said as they began walking along the bayou to the outskirts of the city.

It was a hot and humid day in Houston as the two men walked along further toward the outskirts near the wood of a once traffic-filled highway. Now all that remain were the hundreds of abandoned cars lining the freeway with wreckage, bodies both fresh and of walkers. It was hard to believe it had only been a month since the outbreak even began. Michael could still hear cries from people in the city as the dead finished off whoever was still vulnerable or unlucky enough to remain trapped within the confines of downtown. Or maybe those were just the cries of those he once lost he thought.

The two adults had experienced a multitude of sorrow these past few weeks, as James, once an assistant manager at a local gaming retailer, was now alone after seeing his mother and sister eaten alive by walkers. His niece and nephew remained hidden somewhere in or around the city along with his uncle who was watching over them at the time.

Michael's only remaining family he knew of in Houston was his brother. He kept thinking back to how he saw his parents shot by some crazed lunatic while trying to escape the frenzy. His sister perished as well, sacrificing herself to let him live another day. This ate at Michael's insides every time he awoke from a nightmare of that fateful day.

Luckily, these two men were not alone in this chaos. Their longtime friends Cesar, Felix, Damian, and Victor had all survived, at the cost of most of their families. People like Damian's sister Marisa, Felix's daughter Alexis, and Cesar's wife Terra were still fortunate enough to have a part of their family left in each other's lives. The city of Houston felt more desolate than ever. Dead bodies floated downstream in bayous, while mosquitos were rampant everywhere.

Michael and James were part of a two-man team, where everyone in their small group had roles to fill. For them, they were sent out on supply runs, while the women kept things at the campsite clean, or cooked. Damian and Victor were hunters, while also searching for food at any place they could find, while Cesar and his brother Felix stayed at the camp to keep watch and tend to kids. Cesar was the current leader of their group, as he served 4 years of service in the marines.

Finally Michael and James had arrived to find everyone but Damian and Victor at camp. Both were sweating after traveling a few miles from the city. Both were tired and had high tension between them after the gun incident earlier.

"The hell? You guys didn't find anything?" Cesar asked looking surprised.

"Well we would have if Michael would've have just listened to me instead of running like an idiot." James replied sharply. Everyone looked towards Michael for an answer.

"Look, there were walkers surrounding us everywhere, and if we would've stayed we would have been dead for sure. We don't even know how to use or load guns fast enough to know how to shoot. And even if we did, we'd only attract more of them. We can still go back and get them, but we need a plan." Michael exclaimed.

"So what do you think we should do?" Cesar questioned curiously.

"Well what we _could_ do is maybe try to go in the morning." Michael suggested.

"I can get up early and take either Vic or Felix with me to scout out around there and try to get the guns. Walkers usually tend to wander off in different directions around the morning. We can get in, and get out in less than five minutes."

Felix seemed to oblige by nodding.

"Yeah Mike, I'll go with you. Hell, it beats having to stand around here doing nothing. I could use a bit of action for once." Felix said eagerly.

"No. We should go back tonight. All we have to do is create a distraction to divert the walkers away from the guns and we'll swoop in and pick them up. It's a lot better than waiting until the morning when they might be gone." James said sternly while trying to get Cesar to agree with him.

Cesar considered James' suggestion, but decided against it.

"Look James, as much as I like that you wanna get the weapons this fast, I still think Mike's plan may work best since it's too dangerous to go out at night. We're still a small group so we need every person we can get. If we lose one person, that just makes matters worse." Cesar said calmly in order to try and ease James' nerves.

"But we're taking a big risk if we don't try going in now to get them." James persisted

Michael was about to try compromising when they all turned their heads towards the woods from the snapping of a twig they heard. Damian's little sister Marisa and Cesar's wife Terra both let out a small squeal. It was after the two figures that revealed the presence of Damian and Victor that the group breathed a sigh of relief.

"We really need to have a warning call for stuff like this." Felix said while trying to relax.

"Sorry, we found a few squirrels, but they were covered in blood already. Victor scared the shit out of me cause a walker crept up behind him and almost got him. Luckily the bear trap he set caught it though. Oh! The good news is that Victor also caught a rabbit!" Damian said excitedly while Victor held up the dead hare.

"Ew! I don't want to have to eat a poor little bunny rabbit." Damian's little sister Marisa said disgusted.

"Well you're going to have to get used to it. Or hope it starts raining pigs." Damian joked.

Marisa frowned as she surveyed what would soon be the closest thing to a meal.

"Well that's at least something for now. Nice job guys." Michael complimented. James still appeared to be a bit unsettled, but had calmed down nonetheless.

"Alight then, why don't we vote on what we'll do about the gun situation later. Let's get dinner prepared. I think we've all been through enough today to earn some food in our stomach's." Cesar said as he helped Terra to her feet. She had been pregnant for a few months before the outbreak began.

"Gun situation?" Victor asked as he and Damian looked puzzled.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you _all _about it later." James said sarcastically.

Night fell upon the city as Michael's camp sat around the fire eating the rations Terra and Marisa helped separate in order for them to live off the food they had a little longer. Everyone was finishing off the last of the rabbit Victor had caught. Mainly Marisa and Terra since they were the only women. James was busy telling Damian and Victor the ordeal him and Michael had, while Cesar and Michael were discussing how to approach getting the weapons they need.

"See, I was thinking we take the car and have someone honk it and drive along to distract all the walkers while two of us go in and grab the guns." Cesar suggested.

"That sounds good, but the way the street was filled with walkers, it's gonna be hard for our car not to get stuck on some of the rotting corpses and crap. We'll most likely have to have someone on foot." Michael said firmly.

"Hmm, ok. But we should at least have someone parked about a block away honking as a distraction. That way once someone grabs the sack, they holler for a pickup and then bam, clean getaway." Cesar said confidently.

Michael gave an approving nod. This was what Michael liked about Cesar a lot, he has a knack for making sure any plan Michael has a full-proof one. This was also what made Cesar a good leader. Although James had the determined aggression and Michael the reasonable hope, Cesar was like a balance between them in a way. All while having the responsibility of taking care of his wife and watching out for the rest of their group.

Terra came to join Cesar and Michael after they finished discussing their plan for getting the guns.

"Can't believe it's been a month since all this started." Terra said solemnly.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad, but we can still find a way to live after all of this." Cesar said hopefully.

"Cesar's right. Things may look shitty now, but there has to be some place that's safe. It just looks bad right now cause we're getting used to death being all around us, that we still forget we're the ones living." Michael exclaimed as he voiced his thoughts aloud.

Terra responded jokingly by saying, "Well I hope we find a safe place soon, cause I'm getting tired of living in shit." The three of them laughed as they shared smiles for the first time in weeks.

"Alright everyone, listen up." Cesar said loudly as he quieted everyone around the campfire.

"Michael and I have decided that the best way to get those guns are for two of us to go straight in, but only with the help of a distractor. We're going to need someone in the car to honk the horn a few blocks away so they can draw the walkers towards them while the other two sneak in and grab the weapons. I can go with Mike while James can drive. Once we holler, you come pick us up and we'll make a quick getaway."

"Well as long as I get to be the getaway driver then that's fine by me." James said light-heartedly.

"So it's settled then. We leave first thing in the morning while the rest of the guys stay behind and keep watch. Let's make this work." Cesar spoke confidently as everyone agreed.

"Hey Cesar, mind if I take watch tonight? Not really feeling sleepy at all so I figured I might as well." James asked politely.

"Yeah sure, if Damian doesn't mind since it's his night." Cesar said.

"Nope. It's all yours James." Damian said gratefully. That's when James turned to face both Victor and Damian.

"Alright then, you two still up for our original plan?" James asked.

"Hell yeah."

"You got it man." Both Damian and Victor obliged.

"Good. We leave in two hours." Whispered James.

James, Damian, and Victor all crept quietly out of their tents as they met at the big pine tree next to Michael's car.

"You got the bags?" James asked Damian.

"Yep. All here. Ready when you are" Damian said as him and Victor looked around to see if anyone was watching.

"You sure this is gonna work James? Asked Victor tensely.

"Of course it is. I'll go ahead and drive with the headlights on bright and honk while you and Damian go in and grab the bag real fast. If we're lucky, we can probably just drive straight down the street right next to the bag, grab the whole thing, and go. It's so easy I don't see why Cesar and Michael prefer to make it harder than what it is." James proclaimed defensively.

All three of them began to creep up to Michael's car when they saw the body sleeping in the car turn over from hearing them.

"I had a feeling you'd be out for a stroll." Michael yawned while sitting upright in the driver seat.

"You may have your own plan but you're not using my car to do it. We all agreed to get those weapons as a group, so if you want to do things your own way, then you better have a backup plan. Otherwise, go to sleep, and help us do this the right way." Michael said sternly.

Damian and Victor were still surprised at seeing someone they thought was a dead body in Michael's car from how dark it was. James on the other hand seemed livid at how he was one-upped.

"Fine. You and Cesar wanna overcomplicate things and get yourselves killed, be our guest. I'm just trying to do things the fast and easy way." James replied sharply.

"No. What you want to do is go on a suicide mission in the middle of the night with no way to see in the dark besides a few bright headlights. Which will probably just bring more of them your way. Or worse…_our_ way." Michael retorted defensively.

"Whatever. I'll be keeping watch. All I know is that if things go to shit tomorrow, I'll know who to blame." James shot back as he walked away while Damian and Victor walked back to their tents.

Michael had his eyes fixed on the three of them until he was sure they were back in their tents. He clutched the keys tightly to his chest, as his tomahawk lay beside him as he slowly drifted to sleep.

The next morning, the four men going on the weapons run loaded into Michael's Camaro as they went over the plan one last time.

"So we all know the plan then right?"

Cesar double-checked with James and Michael.

"James drops us off at a clear enough spot a block or two away, drives off while honking to distract the walkers, while you and I run like hell to those guns and blow our whistles for James to pick us up once we get them."

Michael and James nodded and the three of them sped off towards downtown once more. James was still in a tense mood from the night before, but was determined to succeed nonetheless. Trees and walkers passed them by as they raced towards the city. Crows were chewing out the eyeballs of a fresh corpse as Cesar watched in disgust through the window. A walker who had lost its legs was dragging itself along the highway until James decided to mow it down. The car making a few thudding noises as the rotting carcass flew behind them, leaving a fresh trail of blood. Michael made a questionable look at James.

"Hey, you gotta admit it's a lot more fun running one over than it is in the video games." James joked as Michael smirked.

The three finally reached downtown as they passed by small groups of walkers. They drove by one block that was swarming with walkers all along the street next to an overturned eighteen-wheeler. Cesar wished he'd thought of bringing along more gas cans sooner in order for them to siphon some fuel. Nevertheless, the three men reached the same point James and Michael did the previous day before they failed to retrieve the weapons.

"Well, here's your stop. Just blow your whistles once you get the goods. I'll stop honking after every 5 seconds and wait 10 seconds so I can try to hear you in case you or Cesar call out. Oh, and if you two find any swords, please bring them with you so we can modify this thing."

James patted the steering wheel in order to hint at making a death machine out of the Camaro.

"We'll see how lucky we get." Michael said, almost wanting to smile. Cesar readied his combat knife as Michael pulled out his tomahawk.

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road. Ready. Set. Go!" Cesar shouted as they began to race in opposite directions. James speeding as fast as he could down the street, while Michael led Cesar to the location of the guns which were in front of a run down office building. Both could hear the screeching of tires as James began seeing walkers line the street we was on. Brushing by a few while hitting a few others.

Cesar and Michael began slashing their way towards the next block as walkers began crowding the street after hearing James burnout. About a minute later, the sound of James honking in the distance told Michael and Cesar to hurry up even faster.

"Let's hurry the hell up! We won't have much time if they keep coming at us like this!" Michael shouted as him and Cesar continued stabbing walkers in the head.

They finally reached the street where the guns resided. But were greeted with a few dozen walkers.

"Dammit. Now what?!" Cesar asked.

"We split up, work around the damn things, and regroup at the guns! Start shouting the minute you either grab the bag or blow your whistle if you need help! James will have to hear us!" Michael yelled as they began to head off to different sides. Slicing heads as much as they could. One walker clawed its way towards Cesar, until he kicked back and raced towards it by shoving his knife into its eye.

Michael decided to try doing the same, but also chopped off its arms, then used it as a shield. He pushed the corpse as far as he could go until the body broke apart from the pressure of the amassing walkers and force Michael was using to push it. Blood and guts splattered everywhere unto Michael's clothes, but he pressed forward.

The two worked through the horde methodically, making sure not to get scratched or caught off guard. They were closer than ever as they both neared an opening.

"THERE!" Michael shouted as he and Cesar began moving towards the sack of guns. They still seemed to be intact, provided some were a bit spread across the floor from the masses of bodies walking over and around them. Cesar reached the bag first while he checked for ammo to load the guns with. He found a reasonable amount of clips, took two pistols out from the bag, loaded them, and handed one to Michael, who had just began blowing his whistle.

"Listen, it's already loaded, so all you gotta do is aim down your sight, take a deep breath, and shoot. Aim for the head!" Cesar instructed Michael as he began firing.

Michael hesitated at first, since he'd never fired a gun before, but obliged and began to carefully but willfully shoot the nearest walkers he could. His bullets were landing, but were mainly hitting at the jaw or neck. Michael's hand began to shake from nervousness and adrenaline, so he tried steadying himself more.

"Remember, aim carefully and try to get used to the force of the gun after you shoot it so you can control your fire better! Concentrate Mike!" Cesar yelled over the mass of hissing and groaning bodies shuffling towards them.

"Right."

Michael said shakily as he began to control his hand from shaking. His shots were finally reaching the intended target as a bullet flew through a nearby walker's eye socket. His aim began to improve after a few more bodies fell to the floor until finally he started to land clear headshots.

"There ya go! That's a lot better Mike! Keep it up, I think I hear James coming!" Cesar exclaimed hopefully.

It was then that the screeching of tires were heard as James rushed around the corner barreling towards Michael and Cesar, knocking away and running over walkers here and there.

"There he is! Let's go!" Cesar shouted.

But then it happened. Just as both men turned to run towards James, Michael heard the cry.

"Aiiiiieee!" The squeal came from behind a door from the main office of the building. Michael wheeled around and raced to open the door just as James had pulled up.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!? GET THE HELL BACK HERE NOW MICHAEL!" James shouted furiously as Cesar made his way to the car with the guns.

"HOLD ON! WE CAN STILL SAVE HER! THERE'S STILL TIME!" Michael shouted as he thrust open the door to find a girl no older 9 or 10 huddled behind a desk in the corner.

"Please! Please don't hurt me! I just want them to go away! Don't let the monsters get me!" The girl sobbed as Michael approached her slowly.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you. My friends and I just came to get some stuff we needed but we're in a hurry to leave so if you don't want to have to deal with the monsters then come with us. But you gotta hurry ok?" Michael said quickly as he held out his hand.

"Are…are you sure you'll keep the monsters away?" The girl asked fearfully.

"Yes. Tell me, what's your name sweetie pie?" Michael asked.

"S-Sadie." The girl answered shakily.

"Well Sadie, we're gonna get you out of here ok? But you have to hurry cause there's a lot of them on their way over here right now. Please, take my hand and we can go away from all the monsters ok?" Michael said urgently.

The little girl accepted as she grabbed his hand as they raced back to the car, where they were greeted by the shouting of James cursing Michael to get back to them fast. Walkers were closing in from all directions, as Michael and Sadie got closer. The horde was getting larger as the gap towards Michael's Camaro thinned with every step. They were nearly there until Michael heard the scream.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Sadie screamed in pain as a walker bit her arm, blood gushing out as more began grabbing hold of her. Her hand was still gripped tightly to Michael's.

"YOU HAVE TO LET HER GO MICHAEL! IT'S TOO LATE!" Cesar shouted as he got out of the car to help Michael.

"NOOO! DON'T LEAVE ME, PLEASE!" Sadie yelled as more walkers tore at her flesh. Cesar was pulling on Michael arm as he tried to force his grip to loosen.

"NO! SADIE! I'M NOT LEAVING HER! LET ME GO! NOOO!" Michael screamed as Sadie's hand slipped away. His hand covered with her blood as he shouted while Cesar pulled him towards the car, taking the backseat while leaving Michael in the passenger seat screaming and sobbing. The three of them sped off while Michael buried his face in his hands. Half of his face now covered with the blood of the girl he failed to save.

"I'm so sorry Mike. It's not your fault…there was nothing you could've done. But at least you tried." Cesar said as he tried to calm Michael down. James was silent as he knew anything he would say would probably trigger an angered response from Michael.

They turned a corner only to be met with a few dozen walkers and small pieces of wreckage in different parts of the street. James began to speed up as the crowd began to form in a "V" formation towards the car. He began ramming through the horde as arms were torn off, or extra limbs were crushed under the tires.

"Ok, we just have another street or two and we'll be back on the…"

James jumped in his seat as Michael's head sprung up from his hands while Cesar let out a frightened shout. A body had landed straight onto their windshield, causing a big thud and crack in the glass. James turned on the windshield wipers in a panic as he swerved for the walker to fly off. It rolled off after a few tries, but the three were stunned to see that the street they were on was guarded on both sides by tall skyscrapers with broken windows that seemed to go on for stories.

All they could see were walkers approaching the windows as they shuffled out of them landing onto the street. The entire street began raining bodies as James slammed his foot on the pedal.

"The fuckers are falling from everywhere!" James yelled frantically.

Bodies were starting to hit the hood and back of the car as the sound of blood splattering could be heard. More were falling ahead of them as they saw guts and insides of those who were once alive splash onto the street like giant water balloons exploding. They were finally reaching the end of the street when another walker crashed through the windshield, causing the glass to break and James to swerve to the left.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" James yelled as he swerved, causing the walker to roll towards Michael's side as it clawed at him through the dashboard.

Michael didn't hesitate at all as he pulled out his pistol and ordered for them to cover their ears as he stuck the gun in the walker's mouth without any sign of fear and pulled the trigger, covering the other half of his face in blood. The corpse slunk down as Michael kicked it out of the way and sent it rolling onto the street behind them. James and Cesar looked stunned as they raced away from the remainder of the falling bodies of flesh.

"Michael…you're not gonna wipe-"

"-No. It's there for a reason. I'll clean it when I'm ready." Michael cut off James as he spoke softly. He wanted to wait till the blood had dried, as Sadie's did. So that it would be etched on his conscience forever, never letting his sorrow fade.

It was early in the afternoon when the three men arrived back at their camp. All were exhausted and still in shock from what transpired in downtown. It was when they arrived when Damian, Victor, and Felix greeted them. All three rushed to meet them as they gasped at Michael's face.

"Whoa. What happened to you guys?" Victor asked.

Michael walked passed them and headed for the nearest canteen of water they kept stored in Damian's Jeep.

"What went down in the city Cesar?" Felix asked with a worried look on his face.

"We'll fill you in later. Right now I think it's best if we all try to relax and get things ready for dinner. It's been a tough day. Especially for him." Cesar gestured towards Michael.

"He made that choice for himself. No one told him to do it. In fact, I was clearly shouting for him to just come get in the damn car already. He was just too stubborn to listen." James chimed in harshly.

"But you know it meant more than that James. It could have been one of our own and then what? You would've went back wouldn't you?" Cesar questioned as James looked taken aback.

"That's not the point. She wasn't one of our own and nearly got Michael, and probably would've gotten us killed if we went to help Michael too." James shot back.

Felix, Damian, and Victor exchanged looks of confusion between them. Cesar took notice.

"Look, we'll talk about this to you guys later. All of us will. For now, let's just leave Michael to his thoughts. I'm sure he could use some time alone."

"He lost someone today, didn't he? Damian asked.

"He lost more than that…" Cesar said solemnly as he watched a lone crow fly away from the tree it was in, Michael walking in the same direction.

Later that evening Cesar had gathered everyone around the campfire while Michael decided to isolate himself for the day. Cesar informed the group of what had happened, while trying not to disturb the children with the more extreme details. James still persisted throughout the story by giving his thoughts on why he feels Michael should have never risked his life in the first place so that he could spare himself from the pain he was going through right now.

Most of the group seemed to side with James on this, while Cesar and Terra still sympathized with the choice Michael had made. It was towards the end of their discussion that Cesar suggested they all go easy on Michael for the time being.

"Don't question him about it, just act as you normally would while not acting too overbearing for him. He'll be fine after he vents or grieves a bit more. We all know how it feels to lose someone, especially someone we couldn't save."

Everyone was already heading off to sleep later that night while Michael lay awake in grass next to the woods. He told Cesar that he'd keep watch tonight since he couldn't sleep while Damian once again took the night off. He chose to lay in a small clearing near the edge of the wood. It was the only clear view he had of the stars. That's when he heard the rustle of something in the woods not too far from him.

"Psst. You hear that too?" Damian whispered as he Michael turned around to see him walking towards him.

"What are you doing up?" Michael asked

"Had to pee and I saw you were up, so I figured I'd check up on you. I heard the noise too." Damian said as he cautiously looked into the woods.

The rustling became louder as they both prepared to attack in case it was a wandering walker. That's when Michael finally felt hope for the first time as a familiar voice reached his ears for the first time in weeks.

"Michael, that you?" A voice came from behind a tree just ten feet away from them.

"Jose? No way! Come out from over there. We're not gonna kill you." Michael said half relieved, half excited.

A tall light-skinned man stepped from behind the tree trunk into the open to Michael and Damian's fortune.

"I can't believe I found you guys. I've been wandering around for weeks trying to find someone I know. I was driving home from work when it all happened when I saw that it was impossible for me to get home. I'm surprised you made it out of there. How long have you all been over here? And who else is with you?" Jose asked excitedly.

"The old crew really. Along with Cesar's wife, Felix's daughter, and Damian's little sister. Cesar and the rest you already remember I'm sure." Michael said.

"Oh, ok cool. I'm guessing none of your parents or relatives…" Jose trailed off as he saw the somber looks on both Damian and Michael's faces.

"We'll fill you in on everything tomorrow. It's been a very…crazy day for me." Michael said while leading Jose back to camp. This was something he surely needed after losing someone he barely knew. They all walked back to camp, as Michael swore he saw a shooting star for the first time, as he wished for the only thing he could.

It was the next morning as the group welcomed a new member to their numbers. Jose had retold to Michael and the others how he ended up finding them.

"I remember trying to get back into our neighborhood, but Normandy was so crowded that cars were blocking the street and there was chaos everywhere. I had to turn back so I decided to see if Rafa's family was ok. Couldn't find them either." Jose said sadly.

Rafael was a good friend of Michael and Jose's whom they met in college but had recently enlisted in the Army. Jose assumed he was still stationed in Louisiana.

"So after not being able to find my family or Rafa's, I tried to get away from the city but I got stuck on the freeway right by the George R. Brown Convention center, so I had to make a run for it since downtown was swarming with them. That's how I ended up making my way into the woods. I would hide there and then go find a place to stay in that looked empty. Or if it weren't empty I'd clear it out. It was a good thing I had found a crowbar along the way. Lost it on my way over here when I slipped down a ditch while running from those monsters." Jose explained.

"We just call them walkers." Michael said as Jose took note of this new term.

"Walkers?" Guess that sounds better than zombies or something." Jose admitted.

"So what happened with you yesterday in downtown?" Jose asked Michael concerned. Michael took a few seconds to answer as he sighed heavily and began retelling the incident he, James, and Cesar went through yesterday. Jose's face filled with shock.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. It felt so weird having to kill those…walkers. I can't imagine killing someone who hasn't even turned yet." Jose said quietly.

"It's not the same as losing the ones that are alive. I can tell you that." Michael replied grimly.

"Well regardless of that, we're glad to have you here Jose. Been forever since we've seen you." Cesar spoke in order to shift the mood. Everyone had gathered around where they held the campfire. Felix was busy carrying his daughter Alexis as she was sleeping silently.

"She finally knocked out after being up most of last night." Felix said as they watched her sleep peacefully.

"We've got a lot of work to do today. We're gonna need the extra help too. Two people for food and supply runs, another two for hunting, a lookout for the camp, and me for gun training."

"How about we have everyone do the food and supply runs, as well as the hunters gather food and firewood so we can all be available for gun training instead of you teaching us separately?" Michael suggested.

"Yeah that could work." Cesar agreed.

"Let's have Damian and Felix go on the food and supply runs, while I keep watch with Jose and give him and the others a little introduction to the different types of guns we got. Would you and James be ok with gathering firewood and hunting together?"

"Sure, no problem." Michael calmly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with what he presumed would be James criticizing him for what happened yesterday while they hunted.

"I'm sure we'll be alright. Don't think we'll be getting chased by a horde of walkers today." James said trying to lighten the mood as it helped lift Michael's a little.

"Couldn't agree more." Michael replied.

"Good then. Jose, wait here and keep watch while I go get you a gun. Alright everyone, let's get to it." Cesar said as the group began preparing for their tasks.

He and Terra walked back to the jeep as they began to hold hands while she began talking.

"You know, the baby's going to be coming before we know it; as in less than 4 months. What are we going to do babe? We still have to find someone with medical knowledge, and then there's diapers, baby formula…" Terra trailed off as she began to worry.

"Hey, don't worry babe. We'll figure something out. I was thinking about that too and our best bet is to get somewhere cooler. Its still summer and I don't want you out here in the heat like this. I doubt it'll make the baby happy either." Cesar said as he tried to reassure her.

"What about Michael? Are you sure he's ready? Especially considering what he just went through." Terra asked concerned.

"I think he'll do fine. I'll tell him when the time is right." Cesar replied firmly while he watched James and Michael enter the woods to start hunting.

It was late in the afternoon as Michael and James scouted the woods for any signs of animal life. They had only managed to scavenge a few nuts and acorns. Both of them were sweating profusely as the summer sun beat down on their heads. The mosquitos were beginning to grow in numbers as they walked along small banks of a bayou.

"I can't believe how hard it is just to find a damn squirrel nowadays. Damn things always used to run in front of my car back then. Now they don't wanna come out at all." James said grudgingly.

"Well, sooner or later we're bound to run into something; unless you'd care to try catching some fish. Michael suggested as he watched a small turtle slip into the water.

"I would, but knowing how polluted this city is, there's no telling what anything in there has been swimming in." James replied as he looked into the water longingly.

A few seconds later they saw a walker stumble out from the other side of the bayou as it fell into the water trying to walk towards them. Drifting away in the small current.

"And then there's that." James said flatly as he and Michael walked on. There headed back deeper into the woods as they found more acorns, and even some edible berries to eat.

It wasn't until they were about to call it a day that they found a pair of squirrels scurrying towards a tree. James had laid some of the nuts they gathered in order to lure them in while Michael finished them off once they fell for the bait. With both of them satisfied, James decided to try talking about the issue they both knew was bound to come up sooner or later.

"I know you didn't want to lose her, and I'll admit I was caught in the moment when I was shouting at you to come back. But you have to realize that I was only mad because of how much danger we were all in. If Cesar and I had tried to come help you, we'd probably all be…" James trailed off as Michael shook his head.

"No. It was too late for even you two to help. I only went back because it's what any of us would've done for one of our own." He spoke with a serious tone.

"But that's different. You didn't even know this girl. She could've been part of another group." Or worse, she could've been the reason those guns were there in the first place and set them as a trap to steal our car or something." James implied.

"James, she was a helpless little girl who was shaking in a corner with no one in sight. She didn't look like she was acting whatsoever. How can you even _think_ she would have any other motive?" Michael asked sharply.

"I'm just saying we can't take risks like you did. It was too damn close and you know it. You nearly got yourself kill-"

-"That's not the point. What if it were Lexy?" Michael cut in. He knew asking James about his baby niece would hit a nerve, but he was fed up.

"Don't you bring her into this. You know damn well I'd do anything I can to protect her." His temper rising.

"Well then don't criticize me for saving someone else." Michael shot back.

"Look, if you wanna get yourself killed that's fine by me. But don't expect me to fucking feel sorry for your own mistakes when things don't work the way you want them to."

"Oh, so now I'm a burden to you because you think I'm going to get you killed or something!?" Michael snarled.

"You're so full of shit! You think trying to be a hero makes everything alright? No dumbass. You're saving one life at the cost of others'. Do the fucking math!" Both of them had stopped and were facing each other as they had each dropped what they were carrying in outrage.

"Why the fuck are you even talking? You didn't have to do shit but drive MY fucking car! Which you tried to steal the night before to…what was that? Oh yeah, try playing the fucking hero of your own! And why is that huh? So we can all somehow place our faith in you and listen to everything you'd rather do _your_ way? Get the fuck over yourself." Michael said nastily.

"You shut the fuck up right now." James demanded as he pulled out his tomahawk while Michael quickly flung his out as they edged towards each other.

"You think you're fucking brave? You couldn't even handle rejection back in high school before all this shit started. Now you think you're some kind of new and improved man, out to save the world. Well go ahead, show me how brave you are. Take a stab fucker." James urged.

Both stood frozen in place. Ready to attack at any moment. Just as they were about to swing, they heard the rustling. It seemed to be coming from everywhere around them. The sound of their yelling must have attracted the walkers as they turned and looked in all directions to see how many walkers surrounded them. That's when a few walkers emerged from the woods while another three came from behind their position.

They quickly turned away from each other and began going at work on the undead instead; Cutting off limbs and stabbing through skulls, sometimes even repeatedly. One unfortunate corpse had its jaw swiped clean off before being stabbed between the eyes from Michael, while another had its skull crushed under James' foot.

The bloodbath had finally ended, and with it so had their urge to kill one another, although the thought still remained. They both headed back towards their camp as neither said a word while the evening began to settle in. The silence between them was more evident than ever as they themselves were quiet enough to pass as walkers.

All either one could think about was how much they wished they could hurt the other. Michael fumed at the things James threw at him. He wondered how someone could have the audacity to just let a child fend for itself instead of trying to help save him or her. Although he knew nothing about Sadie other than her name, Michael refused to believe he was wrong in trying to save her. No matter what the cost to him.

They continued to march back to camp, as they realized that after what happened today, things would never be how they used to between the two. Both remember having arguments like this before, but not in the situation they faced now. Things were different. They were among constant death that seemed unavoidable to them. And they knew it. James didn't even realize that it was his face this time that was covered in blood from the slaughter the two did earlier. Once they made it back to camp, Cesar had rushed over to ask what had happened.

"James, you've got blood on your face." Cesar said concerned.

"Not now Cesar." James replied as he and Michael parted ways while Cesar stood shocked. Wondering what happened between the two this time.

"Guess you'll have to wait a little later to tell him." Terra said as she approached Cesar's side while Michael stormed off to the clearing near the woods again.

That night, James and Michael were both absent from the campfire as Cesar and the others speculated on what occurred in the woods. Felix was listening in on the conversation as he tried to force Alexis to eat some squirrel meat. Jose was sitting on a log staring into the fire lost in thought.

"Have those two ever gotten along?" Marisa asked as she ate an acorn.

"Marisa, those two have always been like that even when they played video games." Damian said flatly.

"You think they might have gotten into it because James said something about Michael trying to rescue that girl?" Asked Victor.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Cesar replied.

"I only sent them out hunting together so they could hopefully talk about it without everyone around so they could understand each other's point of view. I'm guessing they decided to take a different approach."

"Well James has a point, Michael's an idiot for going back for someone he didn't even know. Hell, she was probably working for another group and trying to trick you guys into helping her. People can be fucking crazy with shit like this going on. Even kids dude." Damian chimed in.

"I gotta agree with Damian on this one Cesar. Anyone can be lying with what's going on now." Felix interjected.

"I agree, but the way Mike described it and from what I saw, she didn't seem like someone that would mislead us. It's hard for us to say much because we haven't been in a situation like that, so I'm trying to see it from all angles in a way." Cesar said.

"I was planning on making a big announcement tomorrow morning, but with how those two have been acting, I'm afraid I should probably wait till a few weeks have passed. Not sure if anyone will like it either."

"Well what does this big announcement involve anyways? Victor asked curiously.

"It's something Cesar and I have been thinking about for a long time." Terra replied quietly.

"You might as well tell us tomorrow then. Things aren't going to get any better between those guys anyway." Damian grimly.

Jose still remained reserved and shy, like he always had been. Cesar wasn't looking forward to delivering the big announcement to everyone tomorrow morning, mainly since he still didn't have a detailed plan as to where the group should go next. All he knew was that once he revealed the news to everyone, nothing would be the same between any of them.

18

18


	2. Chapter 2: What Comes Next

Chapter 2:

What Comes Next

Cesar was up early the next morning; trying to figure a way out of the coming news he'd have to give to the group. He knew none of them were ready or would even be in a condition to deal with what he was about to do, but he thought of Terra and his upcoming child. This was the only other option he could think of.

Damian was across their camp walking back and forth every so often, making sure no more walkers got too close as he had to put a few of them down last night from nearly making it into the camp. He too wondered what Cesar would tell them today.

Michael sprung upright in his car seat as he awoke from the nightmare he had. He must have just been asleep for an hour since he remembered seeing the sunrise due to him feeling sleepless once more last night. His hands were shaking as he noticed the cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He watched as Cesar began waking the rest of the camp up for the big meeting.

"You up babe?" Cesar asked as Terra turned slowly to face him in their jeep.

"Thanks to the baby, yeah. Been kicking the hell out of my stomach all night." Terra said sleepily.

"Sorry babe, but try to get ready soon. We all meet around the campfire spot in fifteen minutes." Cesar said.

Everyone had finally gathered around as Michael and James sat directly across from each other. Making sure to avoid the sight of the other. The tension was clear, as everyone remained quiet except for Marisa, who was quietly teaching Alexis how to play patty-cake. Cesar stood next to Terra, who was resting against a log. Jose was sitting but seemed to be lacking sleep as well.

"Alright, so I'm sure you're all wondering the same thing, so I'll just come out and say it. But before I do, just know that you two need to figure out a way to come to an agreement because we can't keep having you at each others' throats every time you disagree on something." Cesar said firmly while raising his hand to prevent James or Michael from spurting a retort.

"We've all come a long way in these last few weeks, and we all know it hasn't been easy either. Truth is, things have been taking a toll for me…and for Terra too. She's getting further along in her pregnancy and we still haven't found someone capable of delivering her baby either. Point is, I can't keep on being the leader of this group. I need to step down for my family, and the only person I feel can fill my spot to the best of their ability…is Michael." Cesar said hesitantly.

Everyone including Michael was stunned to hear such a surprising decision coming from the person they felt most comfortable with as their leader. Marisa and Alexis had stopped playing as they had listened intently while Jose had looked up in surprise as everyone's eyes shifted towards Michael.

"Cesar…I really don't think-" Michael began before James cut in.

"-You're kidding right? After what he's put us through back in downtown?

"James, let's be fair. He was the one who helped come up with the plan in the first place."

"Yeah, and nearly fucked it up for all of us." James shot back as Michael's temper began to rise.

"I know that James, but he also acted on instinct; and even though he put us in danger, he did what most of us would have failed to do. Try to save someone else. Most of us would have just frozen up, but he took action. Would you have done the same?" Cesar questioned imploringly.

"This isn't about acting on instinct Cesar. This is about sticking to what we set out to do. Not try to save every person we see that looks innocent. We could have easily ended up like her if we'd gone to help."

"But you didn't. _I _did." Michael spoke up.

"It was my choice and mine alone. Had I died then my blood wouldn't be on anyone else's hands but my own. That's the thing you're failing to understand James. You keep thinking I was the one putting you in danger. Sure I risked our lives, but you could have easily sped off if you really wanted. So part of you had to have wanted to stay."

"Don't pull that bullshit on me. I had to stay to make sure Cesar didn't go down with you. But by the looks of it, you seemed like you were set on dying since you wouldn't let her go. Sounds like classic Michael. Never being able to let go." James spoke with words sharp as ice to Michael's veins.

"Is that so? Well maybe you should tell yourself that when you have to make the same choice someday. But since you seem to not give a shit about anyone but yourself, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that." Michael fired back coldly.

"You unbelievable piece of shit! Ask yourselves, do you really want someone this stubborn leading you?" James turned to the group. Felix, Damian, and Victor all seemed to be listening intently as they seemed to consider what James had to say.

"Listen. You know what he's like and you know how I'm like. So if this is what's happening, then I'm sorry…but there's no way in hell I'm going to be a part of this. Anyone who wants to join me without having to worry about his or her life being put in danger for some failed act of heroism, you're welcome to join me. If not, then I'll fend for myself. I'm done dealing with this shit. And frankly, I thought you were smarter than this Cesar." James spat harshly as he began walking away to gather his belongings.

"James…look, it doesn't have to be like this." Cesar began.

"No. It does." Michael said.

"This is the only way without one of us doing something we'll regret. James and I were nearly about to kill each other yesterday, so it's better this way before something worse happens. Besides, I'm willing to leave if he stays. Or we'll both leave if that's what it takes."

"No. I'm going with James and so is Victor." Damian said as he and Victor stood up.

"Damian, why-" Cesar began as Victor cut him off.

"There was a plan. James, Damian, and I were all supposed to sneak off the morning before you three went to downtown. We were going to snag the weapons at night since James felt we could go by the walkers less detected. If Michael hadn't caught us, the plan could have probably worked, and maybe have been safer. We might have even been able to rescue that girl too. I just feel safer knowing that even though James may have risky ways of planning, his methods could also work." Victor said admittedly.

"Sorry Michael, but I just can't see you as a leader. Plus you tend to trust people too easily, and that can screw you over too." Damian added as Michael nodded in return.

"I'm going too." Felix stood up as Cesar stared in disbelief.

"But what about Angel? If he finds us and you're not there-"

"Cesar, if he finds one of us, that's all he'll need. Besides, if we're both split up then that'll be more ground covered. One of us is bound to find him eventually. Plus, I suck at hunting and Vic and Damian seem to be doing fine at that, so it'll be good learning how to find some food of my own." Felix said as he walked over to say goodbye to Cesar as he hugged him.

"Take care of Terra and the baby. They'll need you more than you'll need us. And if you find Angel before I do, tell him I'll be alright." Whispered Felix.

"You watch out for Alexis too." Cesar demanded.

"She'll be fine. I promise." Assured Felix.

Michael said goodbye to Damian, Victor, and Felix before they joined James. Damian pulled up in his jeep to say farewell to the remaining four people. Alexis and Marisa seemed sad to leave the others behind, as they slumped in their seats looking depressed.

"Sorry it had to come to this. But it's better this happen now then before things get worse." Damian said to Cesar and Michael as they stood silently.

"It's ok." Michael spoke quietly.

"It's for the best. Maybe one of these days, things will be different. For now we'll just have to see different sides."

"And hey, you never know when we might run into each other again someday. " Cesar added hopefully.

"Maybe one day." Damian said as they said goodbye one final time before driving off into the hot afternoon, leaving the four survivors in their wake. Michael couldn't help but wonder if James felt the same measure of guilt he did for what had just happened. And whether or not he felt as responsible as he did for the separation from those he still cared about.

Now not only did Michael have to bear the burden of always knowing it was him that helped cause the group to divide, he was also given the extra weight of leading those he felt he could protect no better than himself. His thoughts now making him wish he were the one who had perished that tragic day in downtown.

It was mid-afternoon as the four remaining survivors began discussing what the next plan of action should be. They had reviewed the amount of food rations for each of them and discovered that they had enough to last a week and a half. Jose had also mentioned he was able to scavenge a few small crates of bottled water while on the road, but only had about 3 bottles left after going through most of them. Cesar had also added that before James left with the others, they had shared an even amount of guns for both groups to take along. As well as trading anything they needed as far as supplies went. Cesar hoped his choice to have Michael as their leader would be a wise one now that it was only the four of them.

"Mike, could I have a word with you real quick?" Cesar asked as Michael nodded. Both walked a little ways from the group until they reached the same clearing he liked to keep watch at. Michael started before Cesar could even begin.

"Why'd you it Cesar? Why now after what we've just been through?" Michael asked desperately.

"You know I'm not ready for something like this. We were doing just fine under your leadership and now I have no idea how I'm just supposed to find us a better place or whatever you want me to do." Michael spoke with both a tinge of anger and worry in his voice.

"Listen Mike. You and I have been friends for almost ten years. That's nearly half our life. Now I'll admit, James and I have been friends longer, but he just wasn't ready to me. He makes a great leader, but not the one I feel safe around when it comes to an entire group. He lets his aggression guide his decisions where you decide to use your gut. And sometimes going with your gut can save your life even if you're already in danger or putting yourself in danger." Cesar seemed very convincing to Michael, because he was listening to his every word carefully.

Michael never realized how much Cesar truly took into account for his decision in making him the leader. How he described both James' personality as well as his own, he knew that Cesar saw something Michael hadn't noticed.

"Look, I know this wasn't the best time, in fact it was probably the worst time to make anyone have this responsibility, but this truly is for the best. You're going to have to make some hard decisions, you're going to have to do things you won't like, but you're going to do them for all of us because I know you. You want us to live as much as you want to live yourself. So you'll persevere. You'll fight. And you'll survive. We all will." Cesar said encouragingly.

It surprised, yet somehow inspired Michael by how motivational Cesar's words could be. Just a few hours ago, he was completely overwhelmed and flooded with so many emotions that now, he felt somewhat reserved. He knew there was some truth to Cesar's words, and since there really wasn't a way out of his position, Michael decided to agree and accept his new role in this world as he nodded.

"Here." Cesar said while handing him a silver pistol. Michael looked took it carefully as he surveyed how new it looked.

"That there's a Colt Police Positive. Pretty good at going through anything with flesh really." Cesar explained while Michael gripped his new pistol in his hand. That's when he turned to Cesar.

"Listen, if you really want me as your leader, then you all have to cooperate. This isn't just going to be me running things. We vote and work under a democracy. Everything may have gone to hell, but we still need to have some sort of rules or system." Michael spoke in a serious tone.

"So what's next? Any ideas on where we could go?" Cesar asked curiously.

"Yeah, but let's see if everyone else agrees. Follow me." Michael replied as they walked back to join the others.

Jose was looking around with a bored look on his face while Terra rested under the shade of a tree a few feet away.

"Alright, listen up. I had a chat with Cesar and this is how things are going to work. I've agreed to help lead our group, but I also want this to be a democracy. So when it comes down to making hard choices, we vote just like anyone else would back before all this happened. As for where we should go next, I decided our best bet is Channelview." Michael said.

"Why go back there? You already know it's crowded with walkers. Jose questioned.

" I know, but back when I was a security guard, we always kept an extra crate of water, and if there are any trucks or cars there, we could siphon a good amount of gas from them. We could also stop by some of the gas stations if there aren't too many walkers in the area off Normandy and stuff. Probably even be able to find some meds, first aid kits, stuff like that." Michael suggested.

"I'm down for it, just lead the way Mike." Cesar said positively.

"You two alright with that? Michael turned to Jose and Terra as they nodded in agreement.

"Ok, good. Jose, you can ride with me while Cesar and Terra follow us. We'll head to Channelview first since it's further. But first I need to make a little stop on the way." Michael exclaimed softly.

A walker was creeping quietly behind the tree where Terra just stood up to lean on as Cesar began handing out guns.

"Here, we're all gonna need one. Jose, you can take the Smith & Wesson. Pretty good especially since you've got a little training in."

"Yeah, I'm glad I got to go to the shooting range at least once with Rafa before all this happened." Jose said reluctantly while the walker still creeping closer towards Terra.

"Well, we still have one gun left over from the trade we made with James. The M4A1. Best we save that for a rainy day." Cesar said lightly as the walker grabbed Terra by the shoulders.

"AAAIEEEE!" Terra screamed as the walker gripped her tightly, causing both Cesar and Michael to draw their guns in unison and shoot it right in the head at the same time.

"OH SHIT!" Jose shouted in surprise. Terra was shaking as she went to grip Cesar tightly.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to watch out for a lot of that on the road." Cesar said while trying to catch his breath.

"Let's get the hell out of here before any more of them-"

Michael was cut off as all four of them jumped at the sound of a loud explosion that seemed to come from downtown.

"We're leaving. NOW. That was a wake up call for every walker to come our way, so let's go." Michael said urgently as they prepared their things to leave. Unbeknownst to them, a lone figure crept in the woods as it watched them leave.

Cesar and Terra trailed behind Michael and Jose, as they sped along I-10 towards their destination. The highway was littered with dozens of vehicles scattered about, as a few walkers would walk in between the cars here and there. Michael and Cesar would stray away from trying to run them over unless they had to so they wouldn't have to slow down. They were nearing Normandy when they spotted two figures that didn't appear to be walkers to them. Michael began to slow down as he saw them waving and felt his heart jump.

"It's David and Rayne!" Michael shouted ecstatically. It had been about a year or so since he'd seen David, after he decided to hang around a newer more rowdy crowd of people. Rayne he had only just seen a month back but was surprised to see them both together. Michael pulled over to the side of the highway as Cesar parked closely behind while they quickly got out to greet their good friends.

"Holy shit dude! I can't believe you guys are ok!" Rayne said happily as he rushed in to give Michael a hug, with David doing the same.

"We're so damn lucky. It's been forever man!" David said gratefully as he beamed.

"Likewise!" Michael exclaimed happily as David and Rayne exchanged greetings with Cesar and Terra.

"So how'd you guys get over here on this side of town? And what were you two doing here on the freeway?" Cesar asked.

"Well, I was coming from a friend's house when this all happened so I went back to my place and held up there for a while. Wasn't too hard to survive in my apartment since I lived on the top floor and would climb on the roof just in case things got too crazy. Plus I found these!" Rayne said excitedly as he held out his wrists, showing mini crossbows attached to each.

"Nice." Jose said approvingly.

"But yeah, I stole most of my neighbors' food and things from the other apartments since my roommates, well…you know. But after holding up for a few weeks, this fucker showed up out of nowhere!" Rayne said gratefully while patting David on the back.

"Yeah, I had just left my brother's house when all this started. Wasn't able to get back to him in time, so I decided to see if Rayne was ok since he lived closest before you guys. I finally got to his apartment after having to hold up at that gym near the movie theater we always used to go to. Those nutrient bars go a long way." David said while holding one out.

"So how did you kill those things? You didn't have any weapons or something?" Jose asked.

"Oh, yeah! I found a baseball bat in the pool hall across from the gym. I was going to try using the pool sticks, but they're too damn long to be using as weapons. Plus I didn't feel like sharpening them." David said.

"So that's how we ended up here on the highway. We go out mainly during midday to see if we can scavenge for anything left behind for us to use, or to see if someone else would come along, and thankfully you did." Rayne said happily.

"Well we're glad we found you. We were just on our way to Channelview to go to my old job to see if there was any water left behind at my old guard shack. Plus there may be some cars there to siphon gas from too." Michael replied.

"What about James? Have you seen or heard from him?" David asked hopefully. Michael looked away grimly as Cesar answered for him.

"We had some…issues back at the camp we had. We were staying in the woods around the University of Houston. James, Damian, Damian's little sister, Felix, and Victor were all there. Some pretty rough stuff happened and we had to separate, but we'll have to talk about that another time." Cesar replied gravely.

"No problem man, it's all good." Rayne said assuredly.

"Sorry to hear things didn't work out. Hope the others are ok." David said nervously.

"Thanks." Michael said quietly.

"We should get back on the road soon. Rayne, would we be able to get in your apartment at the gate? Or is it blocked?" Michael asked.

"Nah man, gate's open. The only thing is that there are a shit load of fleshers around it." Rayne responded sadly.

"Fleshers? Heh, that's a new one. We call them walkers. But fleshers seems kind of catchy at least." Michael said lightheartedly.

"Ok then, let's go ahead and hit up the gas stations on Normandy, then head to Channelview to see if we can get some extra water and gas. I still need to make another stop on Normandy before we head back." Michael added.

"But I already told you Normandy's-"

"I know Jose, but I'm still going. You all don't have to come along, but it'll only take a short while. I'll be fine. Trust me." Michael reassured.

"I guess. But are you sure you don't want me to come with you at least?" Asked Jose anxiously.

"No. This is something I'd rather do alone." Replied Michael solemnly.

"Let's move out." He instructed as David and Rayne followed Cesar and Terra back to their Jeep.

"So I'm guessing he's the leader or something? What happened to everyone's parents anyway?" David asked puzzled.

"Michael's parents were shot by some lunatic and his sister died from saving him. He's not sure where his brother is but he said he checked his house and couldn't find him anywhere. James' mom and sister were eaten in front of him he said. And my mom…well, she's gone." Cesar responded while fighting the urge to produce tears.

"Well before you ask, my mom and sister were driving on Normandy when…when I saw them crash. Didn't see the walker in the street so they swerved and hit another car full speed. I had just seen it happen when I was trying to get home. That's why I didn't want Michael going over there. I didn't want him to see all of that." Jose said gravely.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry for all of you man. David said sadly as Rayne nodded.

"It's fine. I decided to have Michael as our new leader today, which is why we're not with James and the others anymore. Long story, but at least I know Mike's doing a good job so far. Otherwise we wouldn't have found you guys if he never suggested we go to Channelview." Cesar explained positively.

"Hey Jose, you riding with Cesar or me?" Asked Michael.

"I'll ride with you." Jose obliged as they began driving while running over dead corpses.

"I don't think I'll ever get over the smell of the dead ones." Jose said disgusted.

"Neither will I man. Neither will I." Michael replied as they continued to drive.

It was only ten minutes later when they heard the gunshots. They were nearing Sheldon Road, which led to Michael's former job. That's when he realized what he'd almost forgotten.

"I think I know who that might be." He proclaimed hopefully.

"Who? Is it someone we know? Don't forget Cesar and the others are still behind us." Jose added.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling it might be who I think it is." Michael replied as they pulled into the street where the gunshots were coming from.

"Hey! Over here! Someone help us please" Came a familiar voice Michael recognized anywhere.

"Mike, what are we-"

"Look, I know these people. It's Albert and Kassie! They're really good friends of mine. Albert especially. We've been best friends ever since we worked retail together. We gotta go help them now!" Michael said forcefully.

Cesar looked a bit surprised to see Michael's sudden determination, as David seemed to be a bit cautious about the situation.

"Mike, are you sure we can trust these people?" Cesar asked quickly.

"I'm positive. Now let's go help them before we're too late. Let's vote right now so it'll be fair. All those willing to save them raise your hand now!" Michael ordered.

Everyone but David had their hand raised as Michael stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't believe David would vote against it.

"Fuck it. You're outvoted so we're going! Now let's get moving! Michael shouted as he gave David a dirty look while they rushed towards the gunshots. The street they were on was very narrow with rundown one-story houses. Walkers were surrounding the house Michael assumed Albert and Kassie to be in.

They had just reached the front lawn as Michael saw Albert shooting wildly into the crowd of a few dozen walkers as he tried to keep them away from the front door.

"Albert! It's me Mike! We're here to help! Just keep them busy!" Shouted Michael as he began firing into the crowd. Rayne was busy putting his martial arts skills to use as he drop kicked a few of the undead while kicking more into one another as he fired the wooden spikes he had from his wrist crossbows. Michael was truly glad they found Rayne when they did. He was an expert at combat it seemed. Moving seamlessly through the crowd of walkers.

"Holy shit! Thank God you're here man! We're fucking swamped! Kassie's in the backyard trying to hold them off! Think you could give her a hand?" Albert said while trying to land headshots. David was timidly bashing in skulls as Cesar made every shot count while Terra stayed close by him, trying to shoot as best she can. Jose was also landing shots, but more on the torso than anything else.

"Cesar, Rayne! Go help clear out the backyard while Jose, David, and I help out Albert up here!" Michael commanded as the crowd began to thin out a bit.

"Sure thing!" Shouted Cesar as he, Rayne, and Terra raced to go help aid Kassie.

"We're almost there! Just a little more and we'll be home safe!" Albert shouted positively.

There were only a few more left as the four men cleared out the last few. All of them were sweating and trying to catch their breath after constantly dodging the flailing arms and hissing of the dead. Cesar, Terra, and Rayne had emerged from inside the house, accompanied by Albert's girlfriend Kassie.

"Shit man. Thank God you guys came when you did. You really saved our asses. Thank you so much for saving my girlfriend too." Albert said as he rushed over to hug and kiss Kassie while shaking hands with Cesar, Rayne, and Terra afterwards as they all introduced each other.

"I'm surprised you two were even holding up over here. I figured you'd have moved on somewhere else by now. I was thinking about looking for you two since we were on our way over to my old job to try scavenging for supplies. Guess you gave us the warning signal from all those gunshots." Michael said lightheartedly.

"I know man, I'm so glad you guys came when you did. I had fallen asleep on watch and before I knew it, Kassie was shaking me awake and here we were fighting for our lives. We were driving from the mall getting back to my house when we noticed people were starting to act crazy. That's when…I saw my brother attacking my mom. She didn't even have a chance. He was already biting her arm and everything." Albert said with a depressed look on his face.

"So we got some supplies from my house and went as fast as we could here to Kassie's place when we found her dad. He'd been scratched and had turned, so we had to…well, you know." Albert said grimly.

"It's ok. Lost my parents and sister, Cesar here lost his mom and his baby brother's missing. Everyone here is pretty much with no family except for Cesar really. Crazy world I guess. We had more people with our group, but we had to separate. Tell you the story later. Luckily we found Rayne and David just a while ago before we headed over here." Michael replied.

"Rayne has an apartment we can hold up in for now until we can find a safer place. We're gonna have to do a bit more work since we've got cars so we'll have to clear the front gate of his apartment complex that's full of walkers. Think you'd be willing to help with that?" Michael asked politely.

"Yeah man, definitely. You saved our asses big time, so we're totally in your debt. Right love?" Albert turned to Kassie as they held each other tightly.

"Of course. You guys are awesome." Kassie said smiling.

"Well look, let's go ahead and have everyone ride with Cesar while you and Kassie can ride with me. Got a lot of catching up to do anyway." Michael said half sarcastically. Albert and Kassie agreed as everyone packed in the extra supplies and canned foods they had salvaged, while holding up in her father's house.

They began making their way towards Michael's old job which was only a few minutes away as Michael retold the story of how their group had been separated from James, as well as Cesar's decision to make him leader, leading them to where they're at now.

"Damn dude. So that James guy just split with Damian, Victor, and Cesar's brother?" Albert asked stunned.

"And Damian's little sister too, yeah. It was better that way since I'm sure him and I would've probably killed each other. I'm sure we'll put it behind us if we ever meet again someday." Michael responded firmly.

"Well it's a good thing Cesar put in charge, otherwise Albert and I would've been screwed back there since y'all probably would've never came over here." Kassie said, changing the subject.

"I still would've came over here for the extra supplies and stuff, but if I hadn't been promoted to leader, I may not have decided to come here to Channelview this soon." Michael admitted.

They had all reached Michael's old job, as he was lucky enough to still find a crate half full with at least fifteen bottled waters left. He also found some bags of mixed nuts, some stale chips and cookies, and a flashlight that still worked. It took them about an hour and a half to clean the entire facility out good as they siphoned as much gas as they could from the vehicles that were there.

Once they could find nothing else, they decided to head back towards Normandy to try searching the gas stations. The mysterious traveler that first trailed them in the woods was still following them. Lurking closely, yet quietly behind.

The group had just reached Normandy when Michael decided to tell them what he had planned earlier.

"I need to go…take care of something while you guys search these places." He spoke very calmly.

"Are you sure you wanna go that way?" Jose asked as Michael looked at the street that was blocked on one side by pile up of cars as a few walkers roamed in the distance.

"I'll be fine. This won't take long." I'll be back soon, ok guys? Michael asked calmly as everyone nodded silently while beginning to scour the area for food or supplies. He was barely about to drive off when Cesar stopped him to have a quick word.

"Look Mike, I know what you're doing, and I know _why_ you're doing it too." He said grimly.

"Then you'll know why I have to do this alone." Michael replied with a sense of determination.

"I understand. Just make sure you're careful out there. I made you leader for a reason, and so far it's been working pretty well for us. But this doesn't mean you can be a free spirit all the time and venture off alone either. Understand?" Cesar asked kindly.

"It's ok Cesar. This will be the last time I go off wandering where I shouldn't. I'll be fine. I promise. Meet you back here in half an hour ok?" Michael said as he prepared to take off.

"Good luck." Cesar said as he watched Michael drive off down the street, disappearing on the other side of the bridge.

It was late in the afternoon and evening was settling in soon, as Michael arrived at the same old tan brown two-story house he remembered so well. He stepped out of his car, as the street seemed oddly deserted despite a few walkers here and there. That's when he saw his worst tragedy. It was the man who he remembered seeing shoot his parents. He had turned and was crawling due to his legs having been severed off since Michael last saw him. Michael hated this man for what he did. He knew nothing of him and had never seen him at all, but his hatred consumed him.

Michael's sister Pamela told him to run that day the crazed madman was shooting wildly, screaming, "This is the end! This is the end!" Michael stood frozen as the man turned to point at his sister, as his legs finally told him to run. Hearing the shot from behind him, he knew all he could do was run. He was forced to leave and searched for James since he lived down the street from him. That's how they met Cesar, Terra, Felix, Damian, Damian's little sister, and Victor. Cesar was in town from the marines so they decided to have a party that day.

It wasn't until they all met that they quickly had to flee to what they felt would be the least populated area. This was what led them to the wood around the University of Houston campus. All of these memories kept flooding through Michael's mind until he was finally forced back into reality. He began stomping on the once evil man's neck as he crushed it repeatedly under his foot while tears streamed down his face.

"I hate you! You ruined everything! Fucking son-of-a-bitch! Burn in hell where you belong you piece of shit!" Michael shouted with every piece of hate he had stored in his veins as he stuck the tip of his pistol in the man's throat and pulled the trigger.

"Now you'll never hurt anyone again." He whispered softly.

Before he could even stand up, he heard shuffling behind him and quickly turned around before the walker got to him first. He first without even thinking, as the corpse of his father fell to the ground. Kneeling in shock, he couldn't help but let out a sob of pain.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there. I'll always remember what you did to keep me alive…" Michael whispered softly as he closed his father's eyelids carefully, his corpse motionless.

That's when he heard her. He stood up slowly and turned around as he saw the one face he knew would break his heart beyond the point of no return. His mother stood before him as she slowly shuffled towards him. He stood stone still. She shuffled closer, as he started to mutter his final words to her.

"You were always the greatest…you taught me everything. How to look for good even when there isn't any left. How to believe even in the face of death. But most importantly…how to live."

She shuffled closer as she was only a few feet away. He began to raise his pistol slowly, as he whispered his final words.

"It's time for me to move on. He hesitated as his hand shook. She was only a foot away as he pointed the gun towards her head.

"I'm sorry…I'll never forget you…" Michael whispered shakily under his breath while hot tears poured down his cheeks as he pulled the trigger. Finally allowing him to move on, and let go.

Michael returned about an hour later as he rejoined his group. Everyone had already managed to scour what little remains of food were left in the abandoned gas stations while also having siphoned a few canisters of gasoline. They all approached Michael's car as he pulled up.

"So, did you find what you needed?" Cesar asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. How bout you guys? Have any trouble finding supplies?" Michael asked.

"Nah man, we had a little run-in with a few walkers, but we took care of it just fine." Rayne said confidently.

"That's good. Listen. I have an idea and I think it's important we give this thought before we decide to go somewhere else next." Michael spoke in a serious tone.

"We're all in an area we know well. We've all lost family and friends around here, but we haven't gone to see if any of them are still alive. As was the case with you and Kassie." Michael gestured in Albert's direction as he nodded.

"So, I propose we try and at least go find any friends we may still have around the area before we leave. We won't be able to stay in Rayne's apartment either because one of these days those walkers will crowd the front gate and make it impossible to get out."

"I'm down with. But what we also need to think about is where we'll go after we search the area." Cesar added.

"I know, and I was thinking a place with water." Michael thought aloud.

"There's always Galveston." Albert suggested.

"Hmm, yeah you're right. Galveston sounds like a good fit considering we could probably live off the beach or something." Michael said.

"First let's focus on finding others that may still be alive, then we'll start planning for Galveston." Cesar said.

"Right. We'll start heading out to some houses I still need to visit so we'll have to split in groups." Michael began as walkers from nearby began to walk towards them.

"Um, Mike." Jose said as he pointed towards the walkers.

"I see them. Let's get back to Rayne's apartment and finish planning there. Can't have these things overrunning us." Everyone was entering their vehicle before Michael pulled David aside.

"Hey, what the hell was that back there? Why didn't you help us save Albert and Kassie?" Michael asked with a hint of anger.

"I'm sorry dude, I…I just froze up is all. I've never really killed any of those things before and…I'm sorry man." David apologized sincerely.

"Look, I know you got a little timid but when something like that happens, you gotta fight through it. One day you may have to save someone and if you freeze up you may just lose someone you love. So don't let it happen again, ok?" Michael asked softly.

"Sure thing man. I'm really sorry I chickened out like that. I'll make sure I help out next time for sure." David reassured as a walker edged closer to the rear of Michael's car.

"Good. Now lets get the hell out of here before any more of these damn things show up." Michael replied as he walked over to slash the walker's head with his tomahawk. David scurried into Cesar's jeep in an attempt to ignore the blood he had just witnessed from Michael slashing the walker.

It was at Rayne's apartment that Michael and the others had devised a plan in order to scour the area for any remaining survivors. Albert suggested that he and Kassie return to his house to see if any of his relatives were holding up there while Jose had mentioned that he'd rather not look for those he'd already lost and Rayne and David said they had no one else they knew that they could find.

"So here's what we'll do, Cesar and I can go check some houses I've been wanting to visit as well as his own. I was thinking we have Terra, Rayne, and Kassie stay here to help keep a lookout and clear any walkers from the gate. David, Jose, and Albert, you three go wherever Albert wants to check out. Make sure you stick together, and cover each others' backs." Michael said sternly while looking in David's direction.

"Sounds badass to me bro. Kinda don't want to leave Kassie alone though" Albert said worried.

"Same with Terra." Cesar added.

"I know, but we have to have someone stay behind in case we find more friends or survivors." Michael replied apologetically.

"It's fine. Gives us a time to get to know each other at least." Kassie said.

"No shit. It's about time we found another girl other than me. Felt like a sausage fest over here." Terra said sarcastically while they all laughed.

"Awesome. So everyone cool with the plan so far? If not, speak up now so we can come up with a better solution." Michael said.

"Nope. Sounds good to me." Albert replied willfully as everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Good. We leave first thing tomorrow morning. Let's get some sleep while we can. We're gonna need it." Michael instructed.

The next morning, everyone began to prepare for the search for survivors as Cesar and Albert said goodbye to their lovers before parting ways.

"I'll see you soon love." Albert spoke softly as he kissed Kassie.

"Be back later babe. Stay safe." Cesar told Terra as he kissed her while holding her hands.

The group began taking their positions and separating into teams as they headed out on the search while Kassie, Terra, and Rayne closed the gate while making sure no walkers tried to enter.

Michael and Cesar decided to head for his old friend Micah's house first. Micah was the third closest friend Michael had aside from Cesar and Albert. Michael only hoped he was still alive or staying somewhere safe. He kept thinking about how they first met in college and how they became best friends just from their love of music.

"This Micah's house?" Cesar asked as they pulled into a driveway.

"Yep. Hopefully he's still home." Michael added nervously. There was blood near the front entrance of his house, and the door seemed to have been dealt damage from intruding walkers. There were still a few that roamed the street Michael and Cesar were on, but they took no notice to them.

They ended up having to kick the door down, as it seemed locked on the inside. Both were greeted by a foul odor that was surely to have been a rotting corpse. It wasn't until Michael heard the gurgling sounds of something coming from Micah's brother's room that he knew who it was.

"Careful. I think that may be Micah's older brother Anthony in there, so if it is we gotta make sure we take him out quickly." Michael said carefully.

"Gotcha." Cesar obliged.

"On three. One. Two. Three!" Michael ordered as he and Cesar kicked in the door to Anthony's room. Sure enough, the once alive brother of Micah was now the corpse that had stumbled backwards from the door having been kicked in.

"Remember, quiet kills just in case there are more of them around here." Michael added as he drew his tomahawk. Just as he was about to put Anthony out of his misery, he was surprised to hear the click of a gun as he froze in place.

"Don't. Move. A muscle." Micah threatened as he ordered. Michael and Cesar both raised their hands above their heads carefully.

"Micah? It's me! It's Mike!" Michael exclaimed excitedly.

"Please. Can you put down the gun? We won't hurt Anthony if that's what you want." Michael assured.

"Mike? It's…it's really you dude? Look, don't touch him. I kept him that way cause I couldn't bring myself to do it and wanted to be reminded that I still had family." Micah said solemnly.

"Micah, I'm…I'm so sorry." Michael replied sadly.

"My mom's gone man. Her and Thomas were both bit by some neighbors that used to live across the street. They were trying to get inside to warn me, but it was too late. Anthony and I were still inside, and were the only ones left. But one day, we went out to look for other supplies in the neighbors houses, when he…" Michael trailed off as he lowered his gun and looked down in disappointment.

"Look, I know what you're going through. I lost my parents…my sister…and probably my brother too. I don't have anyone left but friends." Michael said calmly.

"But what brings you here? I thought you and everyone else were long gone or something man." Micah asked.

"We were, but then we ended up back on this side of town. Found my friends, David, Rayne, Albert, Kassie. We decided to look around here in the Northshore area to see if anyone else survived. Guess we were in luck. You remember Cesar right?" Michael asked while Cesar waved in greeting.

"Course I do. Sad to say this is the first time I've met him after all the stories you've told me." Micah replied.

"Sorry it had to be on these circumstances." Cesar said while shaking hands with Micah.

"It's all good man. No one could've predicted the end of the world." Micah replied sarcastically.

"We're just glad we found someone else. We were also with James and a few others, but things kinda went south between us." Michael said.

"I know what you mean." Micah responded.

"We'd love to have you with our group. Got enough food and supplies to last us at least a month. We're holding up at our friend Rayne's apartment right now." Michael added lightly.

"You're more than welcome to join us. We could use the extra help too. Those things can overrun us if they're in large numbers." Cesar said.

"I'd love to join you man. I just feel bad leaving Anthony behind is all. I was in that abandoned house across the street the whole time because those things would always come up to my house trying to get inside because they thought Anthony was probably a human or something." Micah spoke grimly.

"How did you survive?" Asked Michael.

"Mainly just on cereal, nuts, and bread. Not much to eat really. I had my pocket knife which helped me against a few of them, but not many animals to hunt around here except for squirrels. " Micah said.

"Micah, you know if you come with us, he can't come." Michael said sadly.

"I know man. It's just…he's all I have left. I put him down, I have nothing." Micah said shakily as he slumped to the floor.

"Look man, I know it's hard, but you have to do it. It's the only way to truly put him out of his misery. He's already moved on. I had to do the same thing yesterday…to my mom." Michael said grimly.

"You're right. It's just difficult is all. Can you give me a minute alone with him. I'd like to say goodbye." Micah replied softly as Michael and Cesar agreed while leaving him alone.

The two headed outside, as they began to notice more walkers gathering on the street. They knew they didn't have much time until they'd be swarmed with them. Just as Michael was about to turn back to go inside, he heard the gunshot. Moments later, Micah walked slowly outside to join them, looking devastated.

"I'm really sorry you had to do that Mic, but we're gonna have to get a move on cause there are a lot of these things building up. We're gonna have to clear a few of them out since they're around the car." Michael pointed towards his Camaro. Without hesitation, Micah pulled out his pocket knife and began slicing skulls in a depressive rage. Cesar had a concerned look on his face.

"Let's go help him." Michael suggested.

The three of them fought their way back to Michael's car as Cesar and Michael shot and slashed away at the undead. Micah was busy shoving his knife through skull after skull until he got whatever solace he could out of it. It wasn't until Michael saw someone that looked familiar to him but as a walker.

"Wait!" Michael barked.

"I know this girl. Her name's Xiomara. We used to be friends…" He said looking into her sullen eyes.

"You want me to-" Cesar started.

"No. I'll do it." Michael cut in as he slowly raised his gun and put a bullet straight between her eyes.

They continued making their way through the small crowd of walkers, as Micah noticed another familiar face.

"Hey Mike, isn't that your friend from Best Buy?" He asked.

"It is. We always used to call her 'Ice-T'. Can't believe she didn't make it. I'm sorry Ice-T." Michael said solemnly as he once again put down another of his friends. He knew going back to this side of town meant he'd run into people he knew, but he didn't expect to find them like this.

The three finally reached Michael's car as they prepared to leave. They began to drive away while Michael turned to Cesar.

"Hey, do you have an extra gun for Micah? I'm pretty sure you're not gonna want to be using a knife the whole time. Especially if you ever get surrounded by those things one day." Michael told Micah.

"Lucky for us, I found an extra one at the gas stations we raided the other day. Not much, just a standard P99." Cesar handed the pistol to Micah as he accepted it carefully.

"Thanks man. I appreciate it." Micah replied gratefully.

"Anytime dude." Cesar said.

"So, your house next right Cesar?" Michael asked.

"Yep. Although right now I'm not looking forward to it." Cesar said nervously.

"Don't worry, we're here for ya Cesar." Michael reassured.

"While we're on the way, we might as well fill you in on everything that's been going on so far Micah." Michael added as he began explaining the last few weeks of what happened as they drove towards Cesar's house next.

"Alright, so you ladies think you'll be ok here while I go out and take care of some of these things?" Rayne asked as Kassie and Terra exchanged looks of confusion.

"Um, better yet, how bout we just help you instead?" Terra asked defensively.

"Yeah, we're girls but we're not defenseless." Kassie interjected.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry. I just thought Cesar and Albert would've wanted you two to be safe. I figured I should be the one to do the dirty work is all." Rayne said.

"Don't worry. You forget I was in the marines, and I'm sure Kassie here isn't all bad with a gun either." Terra replied confidently as Kassie smiled in agreement.

"Alright then, but be careful. I don't wanna be the one responsible if you two were to get hurt. Your husband and boyfriend would kill me." Rayne said.

"Trust us. We'll be fine. We can take turns since I can't do much with this kicking me all the time." Terra said as she rubbed her belly.

"I gotta hand it to Cesar and Albert, they've got some hardcore women by their side." Rayne complimented.

"Well then, let's get to it!" He exclaimed.

The three headed out by the gate as they examined the buildup of walkers. There were at least a few dozen trying hard to get in as they growled, hissed, and clawed through the metal bars of the gate.

"Ok, so here's what we'll do. We each take a side and-" Rayne stopped as he stared in disbelief while Kassie and Terra began unloading bullets into the walkers' heads with no problem at all. They were both on point despite a few missed shots, but Rayne decided to get in on the action instead of trying to come up with a plan as he began firing his wrist crossbows towards the mindless corpses.

"You're a pretty decent shot!" Terra commented over the gunfire as she and Kassie continued their killing streak.

"Thanks! I grew up around boys, so this is pretty normal for me, believe it or not. Well, aside from all the killing that is." Kassie said sarcastically.

The three continued to thin out the crow until the last body fell. That's when Rayne spoke.

"Well, I gotta say that was pretty fucking impressive girls. You're probably better off protecting ME more than anything else!" Rayne said while they all shared a laugh.

"Thanks, but what do we do about this?" Kassie asked as they looked at the pile of bodies that blocked the front entrance.

"Now comes the hard part." Rayne replied as he pulled up his sleeves.

"Anyone got any gloves?" He asked as both Kassie and Terra developed a sour look on their face.

"Fuck." Terra said as she let out a big sigh.

The afternoon sun was hot as Michael, Cesar, and Micah arrived at what once used to be Cesar's old house before the outbreak began. More walkers had littered the street they were on, as they had to once again clear them out. Cesar was looking around constantly, trying to find any signs of his mother or younger brother anywhere.

"Angel! Little kid! You there?" Cesar yelled as he rushed towards the front door of the little one-story he used to live at. Blood had stained the door with fingerprints from some unknown person or undead in the past as Cesar began kicking it in. Michael and Micah struggled to keep up, but had to deal with the few walkers that shuffled towards their position.

Cesar searched the entire house, calling his brother's name desperately. But there were no signs of life anywhere. He checked the backyard to see if he could find anything that might give a clue to his brother's whereabouts, but there was nothing or no one to be seen. Disappointed, he admitted defeat as he walked back to join Michael and Micah in the front yard, which had just finished clearing out the last remaining walkers.

"Anything?" Michael asked curiously.

"Nope. Nothing. Wherever he is, I hope he's safe…or alive." Cesar answered solemnly.

"Don't worry man, I'm sure he's someone safe. Otherwise we would've found him here or along the way." Michael said, trying to lift Cesar's hopes just a fraction.

They all began to shuffle back towards the car after realizing the street they were on was lifeless. As they drove off back towards Rayne's apartment, Cesar looked out the window as he watched another lifeless corpse shuffle in the distance, hoping that his younger brother had survived.

The three men had all arrived at Rayne's when they saw the front entrance clear from any walkers. Michael and Cesar were surprised to see there had been nothing crowding around the gate as there had usually been before.

"Damn. I'm guessing Rayne had a killing spree out here or something huh?" Cesar asked as Michael nodded.

"Well Mic, at least you get to meet the rest of the group now." Michael added lightly.

"Sounds great man. It'll be good to meet more people for once. Being alone for weeks can make you go insane really fast." Micah said sarcastically.

They had also noticed Albert, David, and Jose pull up behind them as well as they all entered while Rayne ran out to greet them after opening the gate.

"I see you had a field day with the walkers huh?" Michael asked as Rayne looked unsettled.

"Well…the thing about that is…" Rayne trailed off before Terra finished his sentence as her and Kassie rushed to greet their men.

"We decided to give him a hand since we felt he couldn't do it on his own." Terra said brightly.

"Wait. You're telling me all three of you were out here killing those things?" Albert asked looking just as surprised as Cesar.

"Don't worry babe. We were careful and made sure not to get close to them either. Plus we had firepower and Rayne to back us up anyway." Kassie said as she tried to ease Albert and Cesar's tension, as they looked shocked from hearing this.

"They really were something else guys. I tried to stop them but they wouldn't take no for an answer. Plus they seemed to be pretty good at getting headshots." Rayne added jokingly.

"You should really be more careful babe." Cesar said firmly.

"I'm glad you and Kassie want to help, but you're pregnant and need to rest." He said sternly.

"Don't worry, I'll be taking a break from being the cleanup crew for a while. Baby kept kicking the hell out of me when we were firing. Guess it didn't like all the noise." Terra said lightly.

"Just try to be more careful, ok guys?" Michael asked politely.

"I'm not gonna lie though, that's pretty badass that you two did that." David added as Jose nodded.

"Guess we lucked out on having some pretty kick ass girls in our group. Let's just hope the baby turns out like them." Michael joked as they all laughed.

"So how did things go at your house Albert? Find anything? Anyone?" Michael asked after the laughter died down.

"We tried man but we couldn't find anybody around there man. The whole street was dead except for walkers." Albert replied grimly.

"The most we found were some first aid kits and a few clips of ammo in some houses we checked." Jose added.

"Also had a run-in with a few of those things too." David said somberly.

"And what did you do? Did you kill them this time?" Michael asked sternly.

"Yeah, but it felt really weird and wasn't easy to do. But I did it at least." David said letting out a sigh.

"Good. At least you were able to take care of it this time. That's the right step, Dave. As bad as it sounds of course." Michael replied, attempting to ease David's regret.

"Alright then guys, let's head back inside and start preparing for dinner. It's too damn hot out here to spend the whole day out here like this. I hate Houston summers." Michael said as they began to make their way back into Rayne's apartment.

Micah was introduced to everyone as he began to get to know each of them as the evening approached while dinner was being prepared. He was reluctant to finally have found others beside himself that were still alive, rather than infected. Albert had told him how Michael and the others had saved him and Kassie before they met up.

"Man, sounds like we've all been through a lot. Can't believe the shit we've had to go through in these last few weeks dude. It's just scary." Micah said.

"The important thing is that we have a fully functioning group with people who are smart, trustworthy, and dependable." Michael added firmly.

"That's true". Jose agreed.

They all sat down for dinner as they shared stories of their past and what brought them to meet one another the way they did. Topics like high school, graduation, and college all made their conversation seem more humane than what the world was now filled with. After everyone finished eating and the tone changed to a more serious one, Cesar decided to ask Michael about what he had suggested yesterday.

"Hey Mike, have you still thought about going to Galveston?"

"Yep. Been on my mind the whole day aside from all of this of course." Michael replied lightly.

"Galveston? Don't remember hearing about that?" Micah said perplexed.

"Sorry man, kinda slipped my mind with what we were doing today. But yeah, yesterday before we went back here to Rayne's after scavenging for supplies, I had suggested we go somewhere surrounded by water. Galveston's the closest place aside from the Ship Channel, which is probably swarming with them since the highway runs through there." Michael spoke as everyone listened intently.

"So do you think we'll be safer around water though?" David asked curiously.

"It's our best bet for now. It never snows here, so I doubt they'll freeze to death, so the only other option is to somehow find a beach or an island since I'm sure they can't swim. Plus, I also need to make one last stop before we go to Galveston too. It's in Webster. My friend Lauren lives there and she may still be around there too. I can't say for sure though." Michael said with a serious tone.

"Well I'm for it. Been a while since I've been to Galveston but I still remember my way around with all the times I used to go partying over there with Rafa." Jose added lightly.

"It's really up to everyone here. Remember, we vote on these things as a group." Michael reminded them.

"I think it's a good plan so far man. I mean, it's not like there's anywhere else here in Houston we could go." Albert said as Kassie nodded.

"I'm down for Galveston dude. It's better than staying in this place. Always makes me feel like I still owe rent or something." Rayne said jokingly.

"You might as well count me in too dude. Not much for me to do in this city anymore anyways." Micah added.

"So that just leaves Cesar, Terra, and David. You three ok with a little traveling?" Michael asked.

"Of course. It's best we try to find a new place anyway so that we can try finding someone who can deliver the baby." Cesar said as he and Terra gripped each other's hands tightly.

"Eh, what the hell. Nothing for me to do here either." David shrugged.

"Then it's settled. We'll pack up tonight and tomorrow morning, and then leave no later than noon. If we're lucky, we'll probably find a boat to take to the island and probably start a little community there or something. But that's a long shot of course. Let's just focus on getting there for now." Michael suggested.

Everyone agreed and disbanded as they all began to prepare their things for the journey away from Houston tomorrow. Mostly everyone was packed up as they all started heading to bed. Michael had barely begun to lay his head on the little pillow he had when he heard the knocking on the door. It was louder than ever and startled everyone as they all sat upright from where they were trying to sleep. Michael was about to get up until Rayne had rushed towards the door in frenzy.

Just as Rayne had opened the door, Michael's eyes widened in disbelief, as he saw the two outlines of figures he recognized in an instant. They were the last people he'd expect to see, but they were there. It wasn't until what Rayne said next that brought him back to reality.

"Holy shit." Rayne muttered.


End file.
